Jennie Garth is hitting out at the Oscars for its decision to omit Shannen Doherty from the traditional In Memoriam segment Sunday night.
After she was prodded by the outlet as to whether producers behind the show should apologize, Garth said, “Maybe.”
Online, Doherty’s fans slammed the Academy Awards for leaving her out of the montage.
Notable Hollywood names were featured in during the tribute reel, including David Lynch, Bob Newhart, Maggie Smith, James Earl Jones, Gena Rowlands, Teri Garr, Roger Corman, Shelley Duvall, Donald Sutherland and Robert Towne.
Quincy Jones got his own breakout celebration.
Harriet the Spy and Gossip Girl star Michelle Trachtenberg was also left out of the segment, angering the actress’ legion of fans online.
Candyman star Tony Todd, Romeo and Juliet actress Olivia Hussey and Titanic and Lord of the Rings actor Bernard Hill were several other names that didn’t make the final cut.
“We have to recognize all the art forms that go into the creation of motion pictures,” former Academy executive director Bruce Davis told the outlet. “And if you include all the people, the steam goes out of the boiler very quickly.”
Previous Oscar winners always have the best chance to make the cut, followed by recipients of the Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards. Of course, “film prominence” also helps determine whether viewers at home will see someone’s face.
“Leaving her out of the tribute wasn’t just a mistake,” Heche friend and podcast partner Heather Duffy said in an email to THR. “It was a glaring dismissal of her legacy. The Academy should know better, and frankly, they probably do.”
Michael Schulman, an Academy Awards expert and author of the 2023 book Oscar Wars, says that there is always “a rustle of drama beneath the surface.”
“No matter what happens, there will be 10 headlines about who was snubbed posthumously, and there’s nothing that can be done about it.”